Kea

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Kea Weather

After carrying out repairs and grading following ice and snow accumulations towards the end of Nov, Kea summit access road has shrunk to the public. Visitors to the summit should bear in mind that the calm sunny day could quickly become treacherous with hurricane force winds and blizzard conditions, in line with the Kea Weather Center. Current conditions at the summit are cold. The temperatures this morning at roughly 10 a.m. Was 27.5 oF. The wind chill factor of 11 miles lowers the warmth to 17.6 oF. Kea Rangers declared which the street to the summit of Kea closed in the Visitor Information Station in the 9, 200 foot elevation in Nov.27, 2017, because of snow and hail collecting on the roadways causing dangerous street conditions.

Vehicular access above Halepohaku area will function as four wheel drive only and no 2 wheel drive vehicles is going to be permitted beyond the end of the pave road. Road closures happen because of snow or ice on the road during winter months and sometimes for high wind conditions. Specific road closure criteria are: 1. Any snow or ice on the road. Winds more than 55 mph for more than one hour and\/or gusts greater than 65 mph. Visibility less than 50 feet. Any emerging illness which makes the road unsafe for travel. There are few road closures from Apr 1 through Nov.

30, nevertheless, snow dropped on May 1 this year, demonstrating that snowstorms can even happen in the months of the summer. Mauna Kea weather varies widely. Summit winds over 120 mph aren’t uncommon. When conditions are too dangerous, this Summit Access street is closed in the Visitor Information Station to make sure everyones safety. The road is re opened once this weather and this roads are safe again. Traffic delays and street closures on the summit access street can also happen due to the use and transportation of heavy equipment, slow vehicle movements, deliveries, street maintenance, stalled or abandoned vehicles, hikers and bikers.

Dust, fog or snow can reduce visibility and slow traffic. Specific street closure criteria is listed below: 1. Any snow or ice on the road. Winds more than 55 mph for one hour and\/or gusts greater than 65 mph. Visibility less than 50 feet. 4.

Kea (Greek: Κέα), also known as Tzia (Greek: Τζια) and in antiquity Keos (Greek: Κέως, Latin: Ceos), is a Greek island in the Cyclades archipelago in the Aegean Sea. Kea is part of the Kea-Kythnos regional unit.

The Cyclades Islands are usually defined by laid-back Naxos and Paros, the more bohemian Mykonos and Ios and the picture perfect Santorini. Yet not many have heard of Kea – the closest Cyclades getaway to the mainland, but one that feels much, much further away.
It is the island of the Cyclades complex that is closest to Attica (about 1 hour by ferry from Lavrio) and is also 20 km (12 mi) from Cape Sounio as well as 60 km (37 mi) SE of Athens. Its climate is arid, and its terrain is hilly. Kea is 19 km (12 mi) long from north to south and 9 km (6 mi) wide from west to east. The area is 128.9 km2 (49.8 sq mi) with the highest point being 560 m (1,837 ft) above sea level. The municipality, which includes the island Makronisos, has an area of 148.926 km2 (57.501 sq mi).

Its capital, Ioulis, is inland at a high altitude (like most ancient Cycladic settlements, for fear of pirates) and is considered quite picturesque. Other major villages of Kea are the port of Korissia and the fishing village of Vourkari. After suffering depopulation for many decades, Kea has been recently rediscovered by Athenians as a convenient destination for weekend and yachting trips. The population in 2011 was 2,455.

Kea is the location of a Bronze Age settlement at the site now called Ayia Irini, which reached its height in the Late Minoan and Early Mycenaean eras (1600-1400 BCE).

In the Archaic period, the island was divided between four city-states (poleis): Ioulis, Karthaia, Poieessa and Koressos.

During the classical period, Kea (Ceos) was the home of Simonides and of his nephew Bacchylides, both ancient Greek lyric poets, of the Sophist Prodicus, and of the physician Erasistratus. The inhabitants were known for offering sacrifices to the Dog Star, Sirius and to Zeus to bring cooling breezes while awaiting the reappearance of Sirius in summer; if the star rose clear, it would portend good fortune; if it was misty or faint, then it foretold (or emanated) pestilence. Coins retrieved from the island from the 3rd century BC feature dogs or stars with emanating rays, highlighting Sirius’ importance.

During the Byzantine period, many churches were built and the prosperity of the island rose. It was Byzantine until, in 1204, it was captured by the Venetians in the wake of the Fourth Crusade. The Archbishop of Athens, Michael Choniates, came here in exile after his city fell to the Crusaders in 1205. It was recaptured by the Byzantines under Licario in 1278. In around 1302 during the Byzantine–Venetian War, it again fell to the Venetians, who built a castle on the ancient acropolis of Ioulis.

Kea was taken from the Venetians by the Ottoman Turks in 1537. Along with the rest of the Cyclades, Kea joined Greece following the Greek War of Independence in 1821.

HMHS Britannic, the largest ship sunk in World War I, which was the sister ship to the RMS Titanic and the RMS Olympic, sank off Kea island in 1916, having hit a mine.

The island is a destination for exploring nature and scuba diving, with excellent visibility, rich marine life, and wall, cavern and wreck diving. The water temperature ranges from 20°-26°C.

The highlight for recreational divers is the wreck of the paddle/wheeler steamship Patris which sank in 1868 and lies at a depth 28 metres. She was a passenger steamer 66 m long, in service in the Aegean Sea, owned by the Hellenic Steamship Co., based on Syros island, at that time the capital of Greece.[citation needed] She hit the reef off Koundouros Bay at Makriopounda, Kea island on 24 February 1868 with about 120 passengers aboard. No casualties were reported owing to the proximity of land. [9] The wreck of the HMHS Britannic, sister ship of the RMS Titanic, located 1.5 nautical mile offshore, is at a depth of about 120 m (394 ft). SS Burdigala is a recently discovered wreck, 800 m (2,625 ft) from the island’s harbour, at 53 m depth. Sunk in 1916, she was a 180 m long ocean liner built in Germany by Ferdinand Schichau Werft.